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Posted by Angela on February 22, 2002 at 13:21:17:

In Reply to: Are you on the lease?... posted by MikeW on February 22, 2002 at 13:10:22:

no i'm not on the lease - but yes - that's exactly what he did.
The price is somewhat in line - but the ratio in the apartment is not. His area is twice the size and mine is a crawl space I can't even stand up in. Since he found the place i figured 1/2 was reasonable for me. But for me to pay an extra $200 for him to live like a king with 14 foot ceilings and me like a mouse....is def. an overcharge issue.

But I do have both copies of the lease - the doctored one and the original. Ideally I want us to work it out. But if we can't come to an agreement - I'm planning on moving out - and then notifying the housing board to make sure he gets evicted. ha.

: Or did he doctor a copy just to show you, in order to justify what he was asking for rent? Do you have the doctored version?

: In any case, given the housing situation in NYC, I think you need to deal with this from a logical standpoint. Is the rent you're paying in line with the space your getting? Could you go out and find a better, or even equivalent deal? If you can't, deal with your roomate and stay put.

: : I spoke to a lawyer about it - and the main issue is that it is now a new law and the bigger picture here is that he forged a legal document. I know to some people it seems petty - but I trusted this person - and he went out of his way to lie cheat and steal from me. This new law can protect others from this happening again and becoming "acceptable".

: : : I answered an earlier post about roommate rent distribution. This is pretty applicable to you.

: : : Also, unless you have anything in writing about how the rent would be shared, you're probably out of luck in getting any money back from the prime tenant. FWIW I know people who take in roommates, and charge the roommate enough to pay the whole rent, so your paying $100 more then your roommate is not particularly egregious.

: : : : My roommate told me that I would be paying 50% of the rent . I agreed to 50% as long as a got a copy of the lease. I paid 1st, last and a security dep. Then 3 months later I found a letter from our landlord - an invoice for upcoming rent which was $200 CHEAPER than what the shady roommate had told me. I went to the management office - and they gave me copies of the ACTUAL lease - and it turns out he doctored all the numbers thinking he could rip me off an extra $100 a month and have me pay $200 MORE in rent even though he has the bigger space.

: : : : Granted - its his name on the lease. But what he did is fraudulent and illegal. What sort of action should I proceed with? I've already confronted him and he feels justified with what he did saying that "everyone does it". I think its wrong - and he even told me if I move out he'll profit even more from the next person. How do I stop this crook?

Follow Ups:

• Re: Are you on the lease?... Lilly 02/22/02 (0)
• Responding to both your posts, and some questions MikeW 02/22/02 (2)
  • OK so now ... Angela 02/22/02 (1)
    • Re: OK so now ... Cranky Tenant 02/22/02 (0)

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Comments:
: no i'm not on the lease - but yes - that's exactly what he did.
: The price is somewhat in line - but the ratio in the apartment is not. His area is twice the size and mine is a crawl space I can't even stand up in. Since he found the place i figured 1/2 was reasonable for me. But for me to pay an extra $200 for him to live like a king with 14 foot ceilings and me like a mouse....is def. an overcharge issue.

: But I do have both copies of the lease - the doctored one and the original. Ideally I want us to work it out. But if we can't come to an agreement - I'm planning on moving out - and then notifying the housing board to make sure he gets evicted. ha. 

: : Or did he doctor a copy just to show you, in order to justify what he was asking for rent?  Do you have the doctored version?

: : In any case, given the housing situation in NYC, I think you need to deal with this from a logical standpoint.  Is the rent you're paying in line with the space your getting?  Could you go out and find a better, or even equivalent deal?  If you can't, deal with your roomate and stay put.

: : : I spoke to a lawyer about it - and the main issue is that it is now a new law and the bigger picture here is that he forged a legal document. I know to some people it seems petty - but I trusted this person - and he went out of his way to lie cheat and steal from me. This new law can protect others from this happening again and becoming "acceptable". 

: : : : I answered an earlier post about roommate rent distribution.  This is pretty applicable to you.

: : : : Also, unless you have anything in writing about how the rent would be shared, you're probably out of luck in getting any money back from the prime tenant. FWIW I know people who take in roommates, and charge the roommate enough to pay the whole rent, so your paying $100 more then your roommate is not particularly egregious.

: : : : : My roommate told me that I would be paying 50% of the rent . I agreed to 50% as long as a got a copy of the lease. I paid 1st, last and a security dep. Then 3 months later I found a letter from our landlord  - an invoice for upcoming rent which was $200 CHEAPER than what the shady roommate had told me. I went to the management office - and they gave me copies of the ACTUAL lease - and it turns out he doctored all the numbers thinking he could rip me off an extra $100 a month and have me pay $200 MORE in rent even though he has the bigger space.

: : : : : Granted - its his name on the lease. But what he did is fraudulent and illegal. What sort of action should I proceed with? I've already confronted him and he feels justified with what he did saying that "everyone does it". I think its wrong - and he even told me if I move out he'll profit even more from the next person. How do I stop this crook?


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